Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Robert Pattinson and the minds behind the romantic drama "Remember Me" auditioned scores of young actresses for the starring role opposite the 23-year-old British heartthrob. No one was the right fit until "Lost" star Emilie de Ravin read for the part. Weeks later, she was on the New York set with a prime role in Pattinson's first big post-"Twilight" film.

All involved in the casting choice pointed to her immediate connection with RPattz as the reason she nabbed the part. How did the 28-year-old Australian actress establish that instant chemistry?

"I don't know," she admitted to MTV News at the red-carpet premiere for "Remember Me" on Monday night. "With friends, or people you date, or with family, you just sort of click, sort of get along. I don't really know how to put your finger on those things."

As an observer, though, director Allen Coulter was able to do just that: identify the key ingredients that led to their onscreen chemistry. "From the beginning, I think they both found each other amusing, so there was a lot of laughter on the set and between takes and even sometimes during takes," he told MTV News. "It was great, because she was unimpressed by the phenomenon, and he was unimpressed by the phenomenon. I think they were both a little staggered when we showed up on the street and they were mobbed. But I think they kept it light for each other, and on the set and off the set, they were pals."

De Ravin didn't have much time to prepare for the craziness that surrounded the production as they shot on location on the New York streets. She was thrust into a wardrobe on the same day she flew in to read with Pattinson. But as she told us earlier this year, the pair were able to lean on each other for support throughout the process.

"It was so great being able to work with someone you immediately get along with and is incredibly talented and is driven to make the film as good as we can," she said. "Having someone you can go and talk with about a scene, and it's all very casual and easy, that made filming such a delight — having a friendship level and a commitment to the script. The way Rob and I developed our relationship onscreen was very natural and just seeing what happened with scenes, what happens in the moment."